A site devoted to a mixed bag of topics, with an emphasis on professional and amateur sports in Regina, Saskatchewan. We also preview the weekly lineup of guests for the Locker Talk on Access 7 tv sports talk show.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

I have to give credit where credit is due. The Saskatchewan Roughriders have done an outstanding job of developing and growing their brand in recent years.

The marketing efforts extend to products featuring star players, including last year's wildly popular Fantuz Flakes cereal. This week, a Darian Durant cereal was unveiled, along with Weston Dressler potato chips.

That's great, but I'm thinking many more players in the locker room would like to get in on the ($$) action! So, how about:

"Visit Capital GMC, and we'll get your Wheelright""SGI and the Riders team up to remind you to have Nunn for the road""Come see us at Dilawri Nissan, and we'll get you moving at a Goodspeed""What are you waiting for? Tamon in and see us at Colin O'Brian's!"

Monday, June 27, 2011

Congrats to all the players who survived cutdown day with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

No huge surprises among the cuts, although I'm sad to see long-time long snapper Jocelyn Frenette get sent packing.

Congrats to all around good guy Marc Parenteau on winning the competition for the starting centre position. Marc takes over from Jeremy O'Day, who retired in the off season to take a football operations position with the team.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Critiquing others while in a sleep deprived state probably isn't such a good idea. But, when has that ever stopped me?

Cheers

The Saskatchewan Roughrider prospects who had their final sniff of a CFL career in last night's exhibition game. Hell, you made it through a CFL training camp. That in itself puts you miles ahead of the mouth-breathers who slag you on the message boards.

Novia Cafe. A downtown Regina landmark is shutting its doors for good this week. You will be missed!

Josh Harding. He's a millionaire NHL goaltender. And yet he makes time to be interviewed for a cable tv show in his hometown. Some other local puckheads could take lessons.

Chuck Toth. The Commissioner of Regina high school athletics had a tough (lousy weather, teachers' job action, controversy over scrapping baseball and softball) first year on the job, but his commitment to amateur athletics in this town is incredible. We need more like him.

Jeers

Access Communications. Normally, their customer service is excellent. However, the "technician" they sent over last Friday was a rude, incompetent douche bag. Seriously, that clown gives Access a bad name.

Representatives of formerly elite local sports franchises who can't even be bothered to return phone calls.

The slack-jawed yokels who dared to launch verbal insults at a lady who wore a #14 Edmonton Eskimos jersey to last Friday's CFL exhibition game at Mosaic Stadium. She's proud that a member of her family was about to play in a professional football game. How many CFL games have you suited up for?

The pending tragedy on 10th Avenue south of Mosaic Stadium. Exiting vehicles run smack-dab (literally, in one case last Friday) into pedestrians cruising down the middle of the street after every Rider game. You don't have to be a traffic specialist to know this ain't gonna end well.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Here's the lineup for this week's show. Unless you're a duck, chances are you'll be indoors. Might as well watch some enthralling television while you're at it! The show airs tonight at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

In the unlikely event that anyone is waiting with bated breath, here are my thoughts on last night's 23-22 win by Saskatchewan over Edmonton in CFL pre-season action.

Cole Berquist impresses me. However, at the end of training camp I believe he'll still be below Ryan Dinwiddie on the Riders' quarterback depth chart, unfortunately.

A big thumbs-up for Marc Mueller, who took CFL snaps for the Eskies on the same field his grandfather (Ron Lancaster) owned.

The kid acquitted himself well, completing all three passes he threw for 45 yards, and making a tackle. Attaboy Marc!

Marc's mother Lana sat near us last night, looking resplendent in her #14 Eskimos jersey, and some mouth-breather actually had the audacity to yell out "He's gonna get cut!" when she took her seat. What a moronic comment, which I'm assuming suits the person who made it.

If Larry (Marc's dad and Lana's husband) wasn't in the spotter's booth, do you think there would have been some pre-game fireworks in the stands?

Darren Szabo was the best of the two finalists who auditioned for the public address gig. The other guy rarely told us the down and distance - kinda important little tidbits of information, actually.

The situation south of the stadium (where drivers leaving the parking lots along the train tracks collide - not literally, usually - with pedestrians walking and/or stumbling all over the road after every game) is a tragedy waiting to happen. Something seriously needs to be done before someone gets killed.

Thumbs-up to the folks who passed along the information that helped the police nab the bozo driver who knocked down a pedestrian following last night's game. Again, something needs to be done.

As for the action on the field: Hugh Charles scored a punt return touchdown. For the Riders. Yes, apparently such things are possible.

Saskatchewan's pass rush was non-existent. That worries me.

Mind you, we'll get a better idea of who's who and what's what in the second pre-season game, after a few prospects have been sent home.

I'd probably holding off on ordering a replica Chris Leak jersey if I were you. Just a thought.

Alert me when the games start counting in the standings. Until then, it's just a glorified scrimmage.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Regina Pats have turfed head coach Curtis Hunt and Director of Scouting Todd Ripplinger. Basically, General Manager Chad Lang has cleaned house in the hockey operations department, after earlier deciding not to bring back assistant coaches Shaun Sutter and Ryan Cyr.

The move comes just hours after the conclusion of the NHL season, which is definitely not a coincidence. Let the speculation begin!

The Toronto Maple Leafs. The buds are the only original six NHL franchise to not win the Stanley Cup in the last 18 years. It's 44 years and counting for them!

Mother Nature (again). I see that rain is forecast right through the weekend. This is getting really, really old.

The complete douche bags who think it's okay to berate some 13 year old kid who is trying to make a couple extra bucks by umpiring a little league baseball game. Get a life, or get back to the trailer park!

1. (Eng segment) Various and sundry Regina Pats alumni and other NHL players were in town this week for the Red, Blue and Bling charity fundraiser. This week’s guest: Brooks Laich (Washington Capitals).

2. A preview of the first annual Saskatchewan Lacrosse Festival, coming up in Regina later this month. Guest: Jocelyn Schindel (Sask Lacrosse Festival Chair).

Regina drivers really are awful, you know? Between never signalling and not knowing what the hell to do at a four-way stop, it's a real treat driving in this town!

Road construction. How is it the Lewvan is seemingly under repair every year, yet most other city streets look like the surface of the moon? Just wondering.

Terrelle Pryor. From quarterback of one of the most prominent teams in NCAA football, to a CFL prospect that nobody wants to touch. I didn't know Ohio State offered a class called How to Screw Up Your Life 101. Must be the only class he went to.